Slip, Trip or Fall Injury Compensation Claims

You can claim compensation if you have been injured by a slip, trip or fall in a public place, if it can be proven that it was someone else’s fault. We work on a no win no fee basis, meaning there’s no financial risk to you if you don’t win your claim.

Such accidents may be due to employer or council negligence. For example, by not properly cleaning up a spill or removing a hazardous obstruction. They can be held liable for any accidents that occur as a result of not adhering to any required health and safety procedures.

In addition to this page, the public questions and our responses at the bottom of our article on valid slipping claims will help you to understand more about the wide range of scenarios involved. Here we look at how to make a successful compensation claim after injuring yourself following a slip, trip or fall that wasn’t your fault.

Direct2Compensation have helped many clients win compensation for slips or trips, including:

A lady who tripped over a a raised paving stone caused by a tree root growing under the surface of pavement sustaining a broken arm.

A mother of 3 who slipped on water that had leaked from a broken freezer unit in a supermarket with no hazard warning sign displayed, causing her to sustain a dislocated knee.

A man who tripped in a large pothole in a cul-de-sac fracturing his ankle.

A worker who slipped on oil leaking from a faulty forklift truck at his workplace, breaking his leg in the process.

How to make your slip, trip or fall claim

Claims for slips, trips or falls should be made as soon as possible after the accident, but legally you have a three-year window. Liability can be difficult to prove, but with the right guidance it is certainly possible to win a fair amount of compensation for injuries that were not your fault.

Obviously, your first port of call is medical treatment for your injuries. Following that, you should seek expert legal advice on your next steps to maximise the chance of success. A solid claim will usually need to be reported and recorded, and have evidence and/or witnesses to back it up.

Ideally, the incident should be recorded with the company or authority responsible for the area in which the accident happened.

For example, if you slip on a wet floor in a shop or restaurant, it should be recorded in an accident book within the premises. The injured party should contribute to the statement and only sign it when they are happy with what is written.

In the case of a trip or fall on a footpath, the matter should be reported to the Highways Department of the local authority. A full description of the hazard should be given along with its location.

If possible, you should take photographs of the cause of the accident with clear measurements of the hazard. Delays can lead to your claim failing as the hazard could be removed by weather or repaired/cleaned up by the liable party. This would damage your prospects of successfully claiming.

Witness statements are also admissible as evidence, so try to collect the names and contact details of anyone who saw your accident and is willing to back up your claim.

Don’t worry if this all seems a bit complicated – if you are in any doubt about what to do, feel free to call, email us, or complete our online claim form, and we will be happy to help. There is no charge for assessing your case, so you have nothing to lose and much to gain if you can make a successful claim.

How do I know if I have a valid claim?

Being injured after a slip or trip doesn’t necessarily mean you have a valid claim. You can’t claim personal injury compensation if an accident was caused by your own actions; it has to be someone else’s fault.

For example, if you slipped on a wet floor and there was no hazard sign erected, you may have a valid claim for compensation. The 3rd party could be seen as liable for your injuries by failing to provide a warning of a foreseeable risk to your safety.

Even if a warning sign is present, the 3rd party is required to remove a known hazard in a reasonable time frame. If they hadn’t taken action within this time, they would still be liable.

It would also be worth checking to see whether the premises have public liability insurance. Public liability insurance covers companies, shops and organisations should anything happen whilst somebody is on their property. It is a legal requirement to have public liability insurance and you can be prosecuted for not having it.

If you haven’t had medical treatment, it is likely that your injuries will not be seen as sufficiently serious to warrant a claim. If you have been suffering in silence and haven’t seen the GP, you still can. If your injuries are consistent with those suffered in a slip or trip, you can then prove your injuries and pursue a claim.

Whilst the law states that in most cases you have three years from the date of an accident to make your personal injury claim, it is best done as quickly as possible. This ensures the availability of evidence and fresh medical opinion. However, in some circumstances this can be extended for an even longer period, for instance if you were not 18 years old at the time.

How much compensation will I receive for my injuries?

There are guidelines issued by the courts for solicitors, but it’s impossible to say exactly how much you can expect as all cases vary. All our solicitors are experts in handling accident claims and know how to use the guidelines to ensure you receive the right amount of compensation for your injuries.

Settlements are calculated based on the type and severity of the injury, plus the financial and quality-of-life impact it has. For example, a wrist injury that has resulted in permanent pain and stiffness could amount to between £10,000 and £20,000. That’s just for the injury itself, not including ‘special damages‘, which relate to incurred expenses and other effects on the injured person’s life.

You will be advised once initial evidence has been collected as to the likely level of compensation for your slip and trip injury. Usually we will claim for the following on your behalf:

The pain and distress caused to you by the injuries sustained

Associated costs and losses

Lost earnings if you have been away from work as a result of the accident

Medical treatments and post accident care

Restrictions on your ability to fulfil your usual activities and social life

Miscellaneous expenses (bus fares, painkillers etc)

What do I do now?

If you need some clear, honest advice, contact us. We have many years experience of handling these claims, and you can use our knowledge and expertise to give you the best chance of success. You can start your claim online or request a call back, and one of our expert team will be in touch to offer help. Alternatively, call us on 01225 430285.

About Ian Morris

I've been involved in the management of personal injury claims for nearly 20 years. Outside of work, I'm married with 2 beautiful daughters. I love surfing, snowboarding and spending time with my family. You can find me on Twitter.

Please note we can only deal with claims within the UK legal system. Your question will appear once approved and we'll answer it as soon as we can. Your email address will not be published, your name will, so feel free just to use a first name.

Your question

First name *

Email *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Questions & Answers

Annette 15th February 2020 at 9:47 am

I fell badly Thursday evening leaving a country pub as the lights weren’t working outside the pub is in remote countryside so was pitch black outside and there were also obstacles – large flower pots – and steps. As a result, I was thrown off balance and landed on the gravel. I’m in pain in my hand and knee and can’t drive. Should I make a claim?

Did you report the incident to the pub in question and did they make a note of your details and injuries in their accident book? If not, you could attempt to have them make a record of the incident now – either by email or telephone.

If lighting is installed and not working, a claim may follow if someone sustains injury due to disrepair. However, if the lighting had just failed it is unlikley you would succeed as the pub would not have had a chance to repair the fault. However, as an example, if the lighting had been out for a few days and no repairs were made you may have a valid right to make a claim.

Hi, we went to the pub the next day and reported it but they didn’t ask for my name, or any details and certainly didn’t enter it into an accident book. I’m not sure how long the lights were not working for. But they were still broken the next day when we visited. I visited the hospital Saturday and was X rayed. I have trauma to the soft tissues, mustn’t drive and must wear a splint. The doctor said it could take a month to recover. Also my jeans were ruined with holes from the gravel. My knee was cut in various places and is still sore and healing. I’ve sent them an email but heard nothing back yet.

Well done for going back to the pub. It is poor on their part to not record your details regarding the accident. I would suggest that when you have had a response from the pub, that you forward the same to me to review (ian@direct2compensation.co.uk) and we could then consider whether there is any possibility to pursue a claim against them for your injuries.

I had a really bad fall last May. I tripped smashed my face was knocked out. Members of public found me. I was taken by ambulance to hospital. Severe head injuries laceration right across eyebrow broken nose ie deviated septum V1 nerve damage. I still have concussion 10months on also seen ent doctor few weeks ago. I have post Basel drip infection running down my throat. Is making me so ill the smell and taste. He gave me 1 month antibotics 3 months of steroids. Infection I can still taste. I have horrendous headaches dizziness blurred vision depression etc. Been told I need surgery to fix my broken nose. Measurements from what’s been taken show inch but council are saying it’s 19mm. I don’t agree with what the saying as this was a slope I’d fallen on. Coming off walkway. Now the paving on slope has a gap from walkway that is around 3inches wide. This is what I must off lost my footing on causing me to trip on raised flagstone. Facial injuries were really bad I have photos. I had black eyes swelling bruising & in bed for weeks which then I ended up with PLURASY & PNUEMONIA. I’ve been referred to neuro hospital to have nerve block & botolium injections. The right side of my face is causing me top jaw pain I feel like I’ve got constant toothache. I now have to live with this for rest of my life. Since I’ve fallen I suffer with panic disorder I’m scared of going out. Do I have a claim against council?

Case law surrounding claims for personal injury compensation as a result of injuries sustained in a tripping accident require a claimant to be able to demonstrate that there is a tripping hazard that has a 1″ (25mm) vertical edge – whether that be sticking up or a drop. In your case, the council are clearly going to deny liability – or already have done – on the basis that the ‘hazard’ that caused you to trip does not meet the required height to warrant repair.

To be able to succeed with a claim, you would need to be able to say for certain exactly what caused you to fall and not be ambiguous in anyway. You mention the 3″ gap that you ‘must have lost your footing on’. Unless you can say for certain what happened and demonstrate – with clear, measured photographs – that there was a tripping hazard exceeding 25mm or 1″, you will not have any joy pursuing this matter.

My son was in a pub on Saturday, he used the gents toilets, the floor was extremely wet, he put his back on the wall, but for some reason he slipped, fell down as he couldnt grab onto anything, and split his head open. one of his friends alerted the staff, the bar manager called an ambulance, he went to hospital had got 7 stitches in it. I have since got in touch with the bar manager, who said my son seemed to be fine at the time, well clearly he isnt, his neck is seizing up, his wrist hurts. I did get in touch with another solicitor who said that unless we could prove that the water/wet floor was there when he went in -which it was – in other words if someone had complained to clean it up, and didnt, then that would be deemed as a hazard and could then take on the claim, other than that we cant. The bar manager said they clean the toilet’s or at least check on them hourly, but in any event this was a hazard at the time my son went in. Can we start a claim or do you have to have photographic evidence of the wet floor?

You don’t have to have photographic evidence to start a claim in this scenario. However, unless the accident was reported at the time and noted in writing that the floor was wet and no hazard signs were erected, it is very hard to succeed with such a claim. Was the incident witnessed by any ‘independent’ person who could provide a statement in support of your Son’s version of events? Without such ‘evidence’ available it may be hard to place such a claim on a No Win No Fee basis.

I parked my car in an NCP car park at my local railway station. I parked on the lower ground level and exited up 4 or 5 steps to the outside. There is a metal staircase coming down the outside of the car park from the floors above. I went to walk around the left of it to the train station but thought that it was fenced off so I came back round to the right side. I was checking emails at the time so was looking down at my phone and it looked like there was nothing ahead off me. I walked into a metal beam from the metal staircase and dropped my phone and fell to the ground on my back. I had cut my nose in two places where I walked into the metal beam. There was no warning of a low beam or anything blocking the exit from that way. When I got up I had to duck under the beam, which was about 5ft high, to get to the station.

If there is an obstacle situated in an area where it would be reasonable to expect pedestrian traffic, warnings and signage regarding the potential hazard should be present.

In your case, you may well have a valid claim for compensation. To proceed, we’ll need some photographs to view of the area – so if you could take some showing where you walked, the lack of signage and the obstacle and email them to me along with your contact details, we can then advise you further. Please send them to me via: ian@direct2compensation.co.uk and I will then call you.

You should also make a report of the incident to NCP and outline what happened and how you were injured.

Hi, I have just got home from A&E after waiting for over 4 hours to get seen. Today I fell and slipped as i was walking down the stairs in my local pub in a town centre. I was with a friend so she was a witness and saw everything. I slipped and fell right down the flight of stairs and i felt my one shoe/leg slip. I landed on my arm/shoulder backwards and saved myself. I am also 6 and a half months pregnant. I told the manager of the pub straight away, he sat me down, took the details of what had happened and my personal details to keep on record. He then called a street paramedic out to see me to quickly check me over and he then referred me to go to A&E asap. I got checked over in A&E, and myself and baby are fine but i am in pain with my arm and shoulder quite badly and i am still in shock and a bit upset. Just wondering if i can claim anything because i definitely know that the flights of stairs were either faulty or wet and there was no warning sign or yellow wet sign to warn customers. If i didn’t save myself i think things would of been a lot worse.

You have every right to make a claim for compensation in this matter. The fact that the details were recorded and reported properly at the time is an important piece of information and would support any claim should you choose to make one.

The only issue I can see at this stage is that you have not identified a particular cause for your accident. If you believe the steps were wet, you may well have a strong claim as you’ve mentioned that there were no hazard signs present. To simply allege that the stairs were faulty would be a far harder claim to pursue as there is unlikely to be any evidence to support this.

I wonder what reason for your fall, if any, was entered in to the accident book? We would be happy to look further in to your claim for the injuries you have sustained. It would appear that you have suffered soft tissue injuries and bruising, which is likely to be painful. Given your situation in terms of pregnancy, there is also a risk that you may struggle with the physical nature of having a baby to care for in the coming months and if so, that would be considered in any settlement if your claim were to succeed.

hi i’ve just got back from hospital after spending 8 hours in A&E with a fractured wrist. I had been at a wedding and slipped on the dance floor which was really wet. I am now in plaster and out of work for 6 weeks.

Dance floor surfaces are smooth and are not textured. Therefore when any liquid or grease is applied to such a surface, it is foreseeable that it will be very slippery and hazardous. As such, there is a responsibility on venue management and business owners to provide a warning that a surface could be slippery and they should also do their utmost to prevent people from taking drinks on to the dance floor area.

You have a right to make a claim against the venue in question and you should make sure that they have a record of your accident and the injury you have sustained. If you didn’t see any hazard warning signs or see any staff members asking people not to take drinks on to the dance floor, you should mention that in any accident book report.

We would be very happy to investigate your claim on a No Win No Fee basis and invite you to use the ‘start a claim’ page of our website to make further contact with us to find out more about your rights after a slipping accident.

I was at work and pushing a hako machine around the store. I was holding a brush in one hand and running the hako with the other and I fell over as it was very slippy and landed on my hip. Would I Be at fault?

my wife suffered a fall inside the entrance of a restaurant. The entrance foyer area was very restricted and poorly lit, a 2nd door to the actual restaurant was fixed open against a wall, displayed on this door was a step hazard warning sign problem was wth the door in a fixed open state the warning sign was completely hidden. My wife, 77 yrs old walked towards a fell off of a step, she hit the hard stone floor causing facial injuries, she was well looked after by a staff first aider. Before leaving, a family member took timed and dated photos of the area in question, no hazard sign was in the photo, two days later a re visit with same camera identified a new hazard sign fixed to the actual wall in complete vision for all to see. The owners have, via their solicitors, denied all responsibilities of the accident. Our solicitor seems to think we should admit my wife failed to take sufficient precautions for her own safety. The defendants solicitors have failed to adhere to required protocols in this matter, can our photos be admitted as evidence even though it was a family member who took them?

Displaying a hazard sign is an important warning to visitors of a possible risk of danger. However, simply displaying a sign in and of itself is not sufficient to remove any possibility of negligence being attached should someone sustain an injury as a result of the hazard, if the hazard sign has been erected in a position that means it cannot be seen or if it is obscured from vision. With this in mind, it is most likely why you found a Solicitor willing to pursue the claim for your wife.

One would expect that your Solicitor has received a robust defence from the defendant and that this defence has been presented to a Barrister to provide an opinion as to the prospects of succeeding with the claim, should it proceed further – perhaps to court. If the Barrister if of the view that a court is likely to find in favour of the defendant, the Solicitor will advise you that they are closing their interest in the claim.

I was working on a building site yesterday and while going to my van I stepped off the high curb on uneven unfinished road and my foot folded over. I’ve been to the hospital and I’ve broken my foot in a couple places. I was wearing the required steel toe cap shoes. I’m self employed and now unable to work for at least 6 weeks.

The scenario you describe is difficult to advise on as without seeing photographs of the accident site it is hard to ascertain whether or not you will have a valid claim.

If you are on a construction site with newly constructed roads and pavements, it is likely that they will be uneven and not finished until the construction and requirements for heavy goods vehicles to use the site have ended. As such, it may be that you cannot make a claim and that a potential defendant would argue that you were not looking where you were going.

That said, I think we should look in to this further as there could be a claim – perhaps the site should have had designated walkways and safe parking areas for workers. You can call us on 01225430285 to take this further.

I was at the car wash and I went to go throw some trash out and slipped and fell right there on the concrete, now have ankle, knee, neck and hand pain. I thought I wasn’t hurt but now I realise that I am and I will be going to the emergency room in the morning, do I have a claim?

Under UK law, if the car wash provider has created a hazardous and slippery area they need to ensure that all appropriate steps have been taken to make the risk of you then sustaining injury as low as possible. For example, a non-slip surface may be required or if not possible, warning signs and markers as to the kind of risk present.

I’m paying the mortgage but the home owner insurance is in the name of the person’s who is selling the house to me. It was raining outside and the rain had run under the garage while it was down and I slip and fell while entering the garage causing me to suffer a right Ulnar Fracture, can I file a claim against the person’s home owner insurance?

I was at work and was unloading a truck. While I was standing on the trailer rigging up a counterweight for a crane to be removed off the trailer once rigged up I stepped back to a safe zone for the pick to be done. Once it was clear I turned to get off the trailer not realizing I was closer to the edge where there were some 4×4 posts strapped down to the back of the trailer I tripped over them causing me to fall off the back of the trailer breaking my wrist. Followed procedures for medical attention went to the er said it was broke and was referred to a specialist a week later I finally see the doctor who asked why it took so long to get in. A week later I had surgery. During that time I was limited to what I could but was never given any direction. After surgery I was put right back on my crew. I wasn’t even suppose to be doing anything with just having surgery. Two weeks later I go for a follow up which the doctor still doesn’t put me out for workman’s comp puts me on light duty. I build wind turbines. We were only getting a couple of hours a day of work contract issues so money going out was faster than money coming in. Then the job was shut down leaving me with no income and still not realeased to full duty couldn’t not get another job. What can I do ?

If you believe that your accident and the injury to your wrist was caused by employer negligence, you could seek to make a claim against the employer for the injuries and losses that you have incurred. Have you spoken with a specialist personal injury Solicitor regarding your accident at work and a possible claim?

Hi I was at a public library and was carrying my books to sign out, when I slipped on a brass plate. The plate moved slightly to the left and caused me to loose my footing. I had sensible shoes so there was no issue with the shoes I was wearing. The staff came to me and I mentioned the plate moved. She said the construction workers doing renovations were responsible for removing the plate.. I did not fully understand because there was a plate on.. they did take my name. I called back several days later as my knee hurt.. It was diagnosed as a deep bone bruise.. my ribs were shifted, and my back was sore.. thankfully that has resolved, with osteopath and massage.. I had infra red on my knee and that is doing much better though the doctor states it will take up to six months.. No permanent damage as far as I can see but six weeks later knee is sore going up and down stairs..

I did check the plate and there is only one screw in holding the plate in place that is why it was able to shift.. The other place close to it had three screws in so that plate did not move at all..

I would be grateful if you could tell me if you think I have a claim..

You have described a scenario that would indicate that you have a valid claim for slipping accident compensation. You were caused to slip because of a hazard that ought not to have been a hazard – the brass plate in and of itself is not particularly dangerous, but because it had not been fixed securely in position it was a hazard. When you stepped on it and it shifted a little, it has caused your foot to slip and for you to sustain an injury and could therefore be seen as negligence in terms of your claim.

You have done the right things so far in making sure that the details of your accident and the cause were reported to the right people and you have also sought medical attention and further rehabilitation therapies in order that there will be medical evidence available to support any claim that is made.

In the circumstances you describe, we would recommend that you make a claim for compensation.

Hi i fell down some stairs at my job. It had been raining and my company was sending us out back to a trailer to take mandatory hearing test that are done every year. Unfortunately as I stated previously it had been raining and I fell down a flight of stairs. I was wearing steel toed shoes that was required. During the fall I sprained my big toe, both knees had contusion which made the swelling go behind both knees, and I re-injured my back. Mind you I had previously injured my back 7 months Pryor in an accident but had gone back to work. I had to wear a boot on my foot for a week because of the toe sprain. I did file workman’s comp and was put on light duty for about two weeks. I filed a lawsuit and was informed that the company wants to only pay 1500 and that if I resign they would pay more. Can they do this?

You will need to seek the advice of a specialist personal injury and employment lawyer in the country in which you reside and were injured. Direct2Compensation is a UK based legal company pursuing claims on a No Win No Fee basis within the legal system of the UK and as such, we can’t advise you as to your rights on this occasion.

Please can you offer some advice. I injured my knee on the 22nd December, It was a staff christmas party and when walking onto the dance floor I slid on some toilet roll that other guests had made into streamers. The injury was witnessed by staff, who promptly removed the tissue paper, and another guest helped me get up. Staff offered no assistance. The injury that I sustained was a torn lateral meniscus, and 3 weeks ago I had surgery. I am still in pain, the knee is still swollen, and I am still off work. I contacted the hotel manager, she said it was never recorded in their accident book but she would call me back, this never happened. I have photographic evidence of the paper tissue and a witnesses to support my claim.

We believe that you have a valid claim for slipping accident compensation and would like to help you make a claim. The toilet roll being allowed to be on the dance floor is clearly hazardous and should have been removed and then prevented from further use.

hi I had a fall at my work I was going back to my workplace and stood on a rubber mat as I walked there next thing I knew was I was up in the air as the rubber mat was wet under neath I landed on my arm and back and was really hurting I went to hospital had x rays nothing was broken but in a lot of pain I am taking morphine pain killers for arm neck and back pain I have been of 5 weeks and I think I will be of at least another 6- to 8 weeks I am getting phsio to help with the pain can I get a claim for loss of earnings

Our initial view is that you have a viable claim. The cause of your accident – the wet rubber mat – would give you good prospects of succeeding with a claim for compensation. If you were to succeed with your claim, alongside a compensation settlement for the injuries sustained, you would also be able to recover any costs and losses incurred – such as your lost wages – by way of the special damages element of your claim settlement.

We would like to help you make your slipping accident claim and would simply need 5 minutes on the phone with you to take the initial information needed to be able to pass your claim to one of our specialist slipping accident Solicitors.

I was coming into an restaurant. The floor was really wet. I slipped and injured my left leg. Every since then my leg has been bothering me. My leg has been hurting me. When I go to stand on it, it feels weak. Like I am going to fall. My ankle is swollen. I told the host at the podium that the floor needs to be dryed up. She said ok.

Given the scenario you have described, I think you should call us as we would like to run this claim for you. The restaurant should not have had a wet floor with no hazard warning signs and as you’ve reported the hazard to them you have a viable claim to pursue.

Hello Please can you advise me as to whether I can claim a “pavement fall”. My foot went into a sunken block paving in Poole High Street. The position of the sinkage was such that it couldn’t be seen from the way i approached the block. I was unable to right myself and fell onto my right knee.. To cut a long story short, The pain was such that I was taken to poole hospital where the x-ray showed a fractured patella. I was advised to get photos but had cut short my holiday and have relied to a local person to take photos for me. The 50 pence coin shows the sinkage to be just about an inch but the damage is on three sides. This was in September 2015 and I have been pondering on whether I should or could claim as my knee injury has and according to my Doctor will continue to give me problems for the rest of my life. I expect this prognosis is because I am 72 yrs old but otherwise far from frail. Regards

Thank you for contacting us regarding your fall in Poole. On the basis of your comment, I would suggest that you contact us so that we can investigate this for you. We would need to see the photographs of the accident site to confirm, but at this stage I believe we could pursue this for you.

You are right in that you are still within the legal time limit to enable you to pursue a claim. You have a maximum period of 3-years from the date of the accident to pursue your claim. If you were injured in September 2015, you have a further 18 months or so through to September 2018. I would suggest that you don’t wait any longer before starting your claim.

Please email me your photographs and telephone number to: ian@direct2compensation.co.uk so that I can review them and then call you to take some further information and get the ball rolling.

Hi I have been working as a door to door salesman for a promotions co on behalf of a major charity. Whilst out and about I slipped and hurt my knee. I have been off work for 5 weeks yet my employer isn’t interested. Where do I stand! Had MRI scan and I have damaged knee and tear in my cartridge.

Whether or not you have grounds to make a claim for compensation will depend on the cause of your injury. In this case, it is unlikely to be something you can hold the employer liable for as I am assuming that you were out and about in public – on a footpath or similar? In that case, it would depend on the state of the ground/floor where you fell.

If you have simply slipped on a pavement, it is unlikely that you have any realistic prospects of succeeding with claim. If however, you have slipped due to some sort of hazard on a pavement (broken surface, missing drain cover etc), you may well be able to claim. Also, if you have slipped on a wet floor in a communal area of a building for example, you may well have viable claim.

It would be best for you to call us have have a quick chat – a couple of minutes on the phone with us would enable us to give you a proper view of your situation.

HI, I SLIPPED ON ICE ON MARBLE STEPS OUTSIDE MY DENTISTS PRACTICE, I LANDED ON THE STAIRS ON MY BACK, RESULTING IN A HUGE SWELLING WHICH HAS NOW MANIFESTED ITSELF AS A BRUISE COVERING A 8 INCH SQAUR AREA ON MY BACK I ALSO DAMAGED MY PHONE. I ALERTED THE STAFF TO THE INCIDENT STRAIGHT AWAY AND URGED THEM TO SALT THEIR STAIRS BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE (ELDERLY OR YOUNG) SUFFERED MY FATE. THE RECEPTIONIST DIDN’T TAKE MY DETAILS BUT INSTEAD ONLY CALLED ME AFTTER MY WIFE LEFT A MESSAGE FOR THEM TO DO SO DURING THE WEEKEND. I ATTENDED THE EMERGENCY DOCTOR ON THE WAY HOME AS I WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE SWELLING, SHE MUTED THAT ALTHOUGH THERE SEEMED TO BE NO MOTION PROBLEMS I WOULD BE HEAVILY BRUISED AND IN PAIN FOR A WHILE. DO I HAVE SUFFICIENT GROUNDS FOR A CLAIM AGAINST THE DENTAL PRACTICE?

On the basis of what you have said, I would suggest that we should commence a claim against the Dental surgery for their failure to either warn you of a possible slipping hazard or applying grit/salt to the surface of their marble steps.

Whilst we all realise that ice is slippery, there are times when ice cannot be seen or where it is fair to expect that people are more vulnerable that ‘normal’ and as such, ice found in these areas should be treated to reduce as far as possible, the risk of slipping.

Ice on the steps of a business, shop, restaurant or health centre (as with your Dental Surgery) present a clear and foreseeable risk to the users of those establishments and should be treated. In your case, you have been exposed to the risk of injury without any warning and I would therefore take the view that you have a good prospect of succeeding should you pursue a claim for compensation.

You may be able to pursue a claim against the landowner responsible for the car park where you were injured, if we were able to demonstrate that they had not taken sufficient steps to provide a safe surface for the users of the facility.

Clearly, succeeding with a claim for an injury in a gravel car park is not going to be easy, but that does not mean to say that we could not succeed. With this in mind, we’d be happy to try and help you pursue this claim if you would like our assistance. We’d need to speak with you in greater detail to find out more and then be able to offer you a more accurate view of things. To this end, please do call us on 01225430285 or email us: justice@direct2compensation.co.uk

In order to protect your interests, I would suggest that you make sure that the owner/organisation responsible for the car park where you fell are aware of your injury and the cause of the accident.

Thank you for raising your situation with us and for completing a contact request form.

This has enabled us to speak with you in greater detail and discuss your situation. Your claim certainly has sufficient merit to be investigated further and to be presented to Lidl for their response. To this end, your claim is now in the hands of one of our specialist injury compensation solicitors so that they can pursue this for you.

Hi, a metal plate out side local shop at the entrance was warped, which caused me trip forward as my front toe of my sandals became stuck under the plate. I went forward but grabbed the door handle so i did not fall, but as it was a sudden jolt forward i injured my knee. Didn’t really hurt at the time just a twinge. I mentioned to the sales assistant at the time. It’s only as the early hours of the following morning that my knee became swollen and increased pain. Eventually i could not stand up or put any pressure on my knee and had to call the paramedics out to my home. Was advised to take these pain killer which he left me. I mentioned that my knee has spasms that i cant control, he says its lock knee. Wait until the swelling goes down and i might need to have a scan as xray wont show. I didn’t take a picture at the time, but later that week my son went to take a picture, but the damaged plate had been replaced, so i have no proof? Your advice please.

It is clear that the obvious ‘hurdle’ to overcome in your case (and in the vast majority of claims for personal injury compensation) is proving that there was an incident and that the incident was caused by the negligence of a certain party. In your case, proving the injury is not going to be a problem as there will now be paramedic records available and if you attend the GP or Hospital in future, further records will support the injury element of your claim. However, the more important thing is to prove that there was a hazard present and that it was that which caused your injury.

You mention that you did report the incident to the sales assistant, do you know if they recorded your details anywhere? I would suggest that you either re-visit the store in question or write/email them outlining what happened. Describe the cause of the fall – the metal plate – and the injury that you have sustained. You should also mention the assistant to whom you reported the matter. Ideally, mention the date and time and describe the person to whom you reported this – if you know their name, state it. If you send a letter by mail, do so by recorded delivery and retain a proof of postage along with a copy of the letter. This will confirm that the 3rd party are on notice of the accident (if you email them, you will have a copy in your ‘sent’ folder).

On the basis of what you have said, I feel that you have a very viable claim for compensation as the cause of your fall was a hazardous metal plate in the entrance to a store. This hazard presented a foreseeable risk to the customers of the store and with that in mind, it is likely that you would succeed with a claim for compensation if you were to pursue the same.

We would gladly help you pursue this matter and of course, we would do so on a No Win No Fee basis. If you would like our assistance, we’d need a few minutes on the phone with you to obtain some further details and we could then ensure that we had the matter passed to the right specialist injury solicitor.

52 questions on this article

You are a STAR!!!! Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help and assistance. It was very difficult knowing what to search for online but you have been amazing.

Thank you

Miss. R. W

Using direct2compensation felt right from the beginning, right from the first contact, I received quick informative and helpful advice and was directed to an excellent solicitor best suited for my claim. Although my claim is yet to be settled the process has been easier than I initially thought, my direct contact Ian has kept me informed, and followed up contact to make sure if I have any questions or queries he will happily help if he can. Overall a pleasant experience would highly recommend this service.”

Lorraine Adam

Claiming personal injury compensation is all new to us and any misgivings I might initially have had were quickly dispelled. We are very impressed with the speed and professionalism you have all shown to date. Regardless of any final outcome we could not expect more and it is reassuring to know you have a clear and reasonable incentive in achieving a successful outcome. I have no problem in your including any of my comments on your website to put others at ease in using your service.